Roland McKibbin, 31, from Beckenham, said he was only able to reach one of his jobs on Monday having been forced to cancel the rest.

“I rely on fuel to travel to jobs, no fuel means I can’t drive, which means I can’t get to jobs with my tools,” he told the PA news agency.

“So, basically, the panic-buying idiots have lost me income, and directly taken food off the table for my wife and five-year old son, because I can’t wire people’s houses from home unfortunately.

“I wasted about 15 miles of fuel looking, in the end I had to turn back as I was on fumes.”

Mr McKibbin said being unable to travel would cost him “at least £200 for the day” while he could also have to cancel jobs on Tuesday.

Campaign group EveryDoctor said some medics have reported being unable to get to work because they have not got enough fuel.

Dr Julia Grace Patterson, chief executive of the group which has 1,700 members, said: “Doctors and other healthcare workers cannot care for patients if they cannot get to work.

“I am hearing from many today who have spent the weekend unsuccessfully trying to find petrol.

“Our Health Secretary Sajid Javid has been critical of telephone consultations recently – he clearly believes face-to-face appointments are necessary.

“We therefore need to know urgently what the Government’s plan is to ensure that all NHS staff can reach their workplaces safely during this fuel crisis.

“Doctors are desperately concerned about patients and the Government must take responsibility and find a solution.”

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